WHAT IS YOUR “SHIBBOLETH”?
“The Gileadites seized the fords of the Jordan before the Ephraimites arrived. And when any Ephraimite who escaped said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead would say to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No," then they would say to him, "Then say, ’Shibboleth’!" And he would say, "Sibboleth," for he could not pronounce it right. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites.” Judges 12:5-6
What brought about the situation that caused one group of Israelites to slay another group of Israelites? The search for the answer brings us to the story of Jephthah. The account of this “mighty man of valor” is found in Judges, chapter eleven and the first half of chapter twelve.
We understand the crisis Israel was facing at this time we need to turn to Judges, chapter ten. Here we are told of Israel’s great backsliding. Israel had turned to worshipping Baal and Ashtoreth as well as many other pagan gods of Canaan and Syria. God punished Israel by allowing the Ammonites to trouble Israel greatly. In their great distress, Israel pleaded to God for mercy and God heard their cry. In every dire circumstance, God always raises up someone to “stand in the gap”. In this situation it was Jephthah.
Jephthah’s early life was exceedingly difficult. He was the son of a harlot by his father Gilead. It seems that Gilead was not very protective of his ill-born son. When Gilead’s sons who were born to his wife grew up, they drove Jephthah from the home.
Jephthah fled to the land of Tob, a wilderness area east of the Jordan. An outcast from the only family he knew contributed to his falling into bad company. The NKJV tells us that “worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.” It was in this setting that the leaders of Gilead went to Jephthah and implored him to return to Gilead and lead an effort to defend Israel against Ammon.
Jephthah secured their pledge that he would become leader of the Gileadites if he would lead the battle against Ammon. The elders kept their word and Jephthah became leader and commander of the Gileadites, which in that instance, equated to being leader of all Israel in its struggle against Ammon.
God gave Israel a great victory over the Ammonites. But all was not peaceful in Israel. The tribe of Ephraim blamed Jephthah of not including them in the army of Israel. The leaders of Ephraim threatened Jephthah saying, “We will burn your house down on you with fire!” Jephthah reasoned with them explaining that he had invited all Israel to join forces to fight Ammon and that Ephraim did not volunteer to help.
Jephthah was unable to assuage their anger. A battle ensued between the forces of Israel under Jephthah and the men of Ephraim. Ephraim was defeated and fled toward the Jordan River in an escape attempt. Jephthah’s forces guarded the fords of the Jordan to prevent the escape of the Ephraimites. Our text tells us how Jephthah’s men confronted the Ephraimites and the tragic consequences that resulted.
The failure of the Ephraimites to pronounce correctly the word “shibboleth” brought about the execution of forty-two thousand men. As the word “shibboleth”, which means “ear of corn”, was Ephraim’s undoing. Typically speaking, all of us have one kind or another “shibboleth” in our lives. It usually does not result in as tragic an end as was the case with the Ephraimites, but the “shibboleths” in our life can do serious harm to our Christian testimony and witness. Let’s consider what some of these might be and how we can gain victory over them.
WHAT ARE THE “SHIBBOLETHS” IN OUR LIFE?
After listing the names of those in the “Faith Hall of Fame” in chapter eleven, the writer of Hebrews begins chapter twelve with the admonition “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.” By using the word “us”, it is evident that the writer of Hebrews is saying that all of us have a “chink in our armor”.
If the Ephraimites had known in advance what the password was, they would have rehearsed it repeatedly until they could pronounce it correctly. Fortunately for us, we are given the opportunity to get it right before we reach the spiritual Jordan River.
The “shibboleths” in our lives are blemishes on our souls, sins that easily ensnare or beset us. Here are some, but certainly not all, of the “Shibboleths” that might trouble us.
1. Selfishness
2. Envy, jealousy and covetousness (spiritual “Siamese triplets”)
3. Greed
4. An untamed tongue
5. Bitterness
6. Slothfulness
7. Pride
THE RESULTS OF AN UNCONQUERED “SHIBBOLETH”
1. It allows sin to control some area of our life.
2. It diminishes the “joy of our salvation” (Psalm 51:12)
3. It weakens our Christian testimony, which can have frightening consequences.
4. It robs us of a heavenly reward. Notice, “a reward” not our salvation. Salvation comes by grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning blood. It is a gift of God. Our heavenly reward will be given to us at the Judgment Seat of Christ for the work we have done for His glory. (1 Corinthians 3:14)
GAINING VICTORY OVER OUR “SHIBBOLETHS”
There is no magic formula in gaining victory over the “shibboleths” in our life. It is an ongoing battle between the flesh and the spirit. Paul describes the battle he was experiencing in Romans 7:13-25. How do we handle the struggle of all this? I submit that there are four things a Christian has to do to in order to gain victory over them.
1. Recognize them.
We need to conduct our own personalized “spiritual inventory” of our life. Recognize it for what it really is; a shortcoming that impairs our spiritual effectiveness. To deflect judgment upon ourselves, we may give our “shibboleths” a fictitious identification. An example might be when we speak with hateful and sharp words and call that “righteous indignation”. The greed in our life might be interpreted by us as “ambition”. Pride might be called “self confidence” or “self reliance”.
2. Admit them.
We have all heard it said that the three most difficult words to utter are “I was wrong”. We need to recognize that “we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God”. There is no hope for success unless we face up to the “shibboleths” in our life. Don’t try to ignore them and pretend they don’t exist. The likelihood is that most of the people we know are already quite aware of the shortcomings in our life.
The often used illustration tells of the preacher, in the course of his sermon, asked that anyone who lives a perfect life, and never sins, to stand up. One man did, and immediately his wife spoke out clearly, “Sit down John, I know better!”
3. Confess them.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (NIV). There is a beneficial catharsis that occurs when we confess our faults to those we love and trust; and wonderful forgiveness when we confess our “shibboleths” to God and ask Him for forgiveness and …..
4. Ask God to help you replace these various "shibboleths" with their antonyms.
Pray for altruism to replace selfishness; a sweet spirit to replace bitterness; humility to replace pride; rejoicing in the blessings that others enjoy to replace envy, covetousness and jealousy; a tongue that praises God and encourages others to replace a tongue given to criticism, gossip and vulgarity.
You might say, “Pastor, that’s a mighty tall order!” Indeed it is, and you do not want to battle it alone. Add God to the equation and you are assured of victory. Let us say with Paul, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13).
